For a
New Yorker like myself, spending a
summer in Pocatello and neighboring
Chubbuck was a nice
culture shock.
The previous writeups are accurate. I like what a lifelong native told me: "Pocatello's the armpit of Idaho. But we like it that way".
Most of the people I came across (and as a door-to-door book salesman, I came across ALOT of people) led very sheltered lives. They referred to Boise or Salt Lake City (each a few hours away) as "the big city". Many had never been outside Idaho. Children and teens dreamed of going not to Harvard or Stanford, but rather Brigham Young.
Pocatello had more trailer parks per capita than I had ever seen in my life. However, there were areas that were quite upper-class, with alot of mansions in the northeast part of the town.
People there mostly know that it isn't the richest or cleanest town in America, but I met alot of content people. To each their own...
According to the Idaho State University website, Pocatello is named after a Shoshone Indian chief. It is located in Bannock County.
(and please don't ask why I was selling books in Idaho...)